Rayan Vitor: Why Brazil's latest teenage sensation is registering on the transfer radars of Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool

Rayan was born in Rio de Janeiro in 2006, and showed an interest in football from the moment he was able to walk, guided by his father Valkmar, who also came through the academy ranks at Vasco and played as a professional footballer between 1995 and 2000. Valkmar took up a role with the club's youth department for a time after retiring, and made use of his contacts when arranging his son's start in the game.

As per ESPN Brazil, Vasco welcomed Rayan into their futsal ranks when he was just six years old, and over the next five years, he developed a reputation as a deadly marksman, racking up a staggering 292 goals. He then made the transition to proper pitches, and continued to wow his coaches, most notably playing a key role in Vasco Under-13s' run to glory at the ICC Futures Championship, with Juventus, Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain all conquered en route to the trophy.

By the time he reached the age of 15, Rayan was already way ahead in his development. The talented teenager scored 29 goals in 34 appearances for the U17s in 2022, and made his U20s debut at the Sao Paulo Youth Cup, marking the occasion with another goal.

Vasco knew they had another diamond on their hands, and rewarded Rayan with his first professional contract in December that year, tying him down until 2025 while also inserting a release clause of $80 million to ward off any potential suitors.

That set Rayan up perfectly for a sensational breakout year. On January 20, 2023, the Brazilian attacker became the youngest player to feature for Vasco's senior team in the 21st century when coming off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Audax in the Campeonato Carioca, at the age of 16 years and 170 days.

He would go on to make more history at club level, but first jetted off to the South American Championship in Ecuador with Brazil's U17 squad. The Selecao stormed to the title, winning eight of their games and drawing just one, and Rayan won a share of the Golden Boot with five goals, alongside team-mate Kaua Elias and Argentina's Claudio Echeverri (now on the books of Manchester City).

Rayan returned to Vasco full of confidence and broke another one of the club's 21st-century records after being handed his first start in a league clash with Internacional in June, this time for youngest goal-scorer. Vasco lost the game 2-1, but Rayan bagged most of the headlines with his close-range finish, which also made him the fourth-youngest scorer ever in the Brasilerao, behind current Real Madrid starlet Endrick and former Brazil national team duo Jo and Anderson, who enjoyed spells at Manchester City and Manchester United, respectively.

That was the only goal Rayan scored in the 2023 campaign from six Serie A appearances, but he featured in 24 games the following season as he became a regular off the bench. His standout moment came in a clash against Criciuma, in which he produced a fine first-time strike to put Vasco 2-1 up before the break, only for the home side to snatch a point right at the death.

Rayan also played a key role in Vasco's run to the semi-finals of the Copa do Brazil, before getting himself sent off in the first leg of their tie against Atletico Mineiro. Vasco eventually lost that game 2-1 and could only get a draw in the second leg, but no one pointed the finger at blame at Rayan and it didn't detract from what was otherwise another impressive year for the youngster as he learned from the experience to reach a far higher level.

Rayan was called up to Brazil's squad for the U20 Sudamericano in January, and helped his country win the title for the 13th time, scoring two goals, including a vital effort in their 1-1 draw with Argentina in the second phase of the competition. Vasco appointed a new manager while Rayan was away in the form of Fabio Carille, who decided the youngster was ready for a more prominent role.

Carille's faith was rewarded as Rayan netted two goals in two games in the opening rounds of the Copa do Brasil, and he also featured in five of Vasco's first six Serie A matches. Unfortunately, the club only picked up seven points from a possible 18 and Carille was ruthlessly dismissed. Vasco moved swiftly to bring in ex-Brazil boss Fernando Diniz as Carille's successor, and he also took an immediate shine to Rayan.

The teenager has gradually become one of the leading men in Vasco's starting XI under the guidance of Diniz, taking his goal tally to 15 from 45 appearances in all competitions while forming a strong relationship with veteran playmaker Coutinho, who re-joined his boyhood club last summer. One of those came via the penalty spot in a historic 6-0 thumping of Neymar's Santos, while he netted a brilliant double in Vasco's thrilling 4-3 home win over EC Vitoria, which lifted Diniz's side to 11th in the table and eight points clear of the drop zone.

Barring a major collapse, Vasco's top-flight status will be preserved for another year, and Rayan is already being painted as a hero by supporters, but refreshingly, he prefers to give the credit to Diniz. When quizzed on a potential senior Brazil call-up last month, Rayan told reporters: "God willing, I'll be there one day. Since Diniz arrived, I've always said he's been a great father figure, he's been a great help, he talks to me every day."

Diniz hasn't been shy about heaping praise on Rayan in public either. "He's an extremely unique player, one of the few complete forwards in Brazilian football," the Vasco boss recently declared. "He's tall, fast, left-footed, has a good shot, and can now enter the box and score with his head. He recovers well and closes down well. He can play as a winger, a false nine, a No.9, or on the other wing."

In other words, Rayan is a versatile forward capable of hurting teams in a variety of different ways. He attacks the ball without fear and times his runs in behind to perfection, with Vasco able to readily exploit his electrifying pace on the counter.

Rayan boasts an incredibly strong frame for such a young player that allows him to shake off defenders with ease, and he is a surprisingly nimble dribbler who can excel in even the tightest areas of the pitch. As Diniz touched on, he's also a constant aerial threat, which is no doubt one of the reasons he's attracting so much interest from the Premier League amid a boom in set-piece-driven game plans.

Rayan's left foot is a deadly weapon that strikes fear into opposing teams, but his biggest weakness is rolling it out too often. According to the football magazine Scouted, the average distance of Rayan's 72 shots so far this season is 21.1 yards, which equates to just 0.08 expected goals (xG) per shot.

So many of Vasco's attacks break down because Rayan lets fly from stupid distances and angles instead of looking for a team-mate. To reach the next level, he will have to become a more unselfish player and work on his decision-making.

A move into a central striker role could greatly help Rayan because it would get him closer to goal. He should be coming to life in the penalty area instead of picking the ball up out wide, where his cut inside and shoot routine is getting too predictable.

Rayan is tied for the most matches with four or more shots in Serie A this season with the Brazil cult hero Hulk, who is now playing for Atletico Mineiro at the age of 39. In his prime, Hulk was also an incredibly powerful player famed for spectacular goals, and he scored 11 times in 49 appearances for Brazil, playing a starring role at the 2014 World Cup.

The Brazilian powerhouse also enjoyed successful spells at Porto and Zenit Saint Petersburg, but never played for one of Europe's elite clubs. On his day, Hulk could be a match-winner, but he was too one-dimensional to reach the world-class bracket.

Selecao fans will hope that Rayan can become more like Adriano, who combined strength with awe-inspiring skill and was billed as one of his country's most talented players ever before his sad fall from grace. The former Inter talisman was far more of an all-rounder than Hulk, and like Rayan, always posed a great threat in the air. If Rayan can add more finesse and composure to his game, then he has the potential to follow in Adriano's footsteps.

According to ESPN Brazil, Vasco have fielded enquiries for Rayan from Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, but the Brazilian ace is prioritising a move to Europe. Vasco are resigned to losing their prized asset in 2026, with Aston Villa preparing to rival Arsenal and Liverpool for his services, while Barcelona are also reportedly still interested in Rayan, who may have the choice between the two most prestigious leagues in the world when the transfer market reopens.

Vasco are already looking at potential replacements ahead of the 2026 season, and ESPN claims they could entertain offers within the region of €20m (£17.4m/$23.4m) - a very small price to pay for a player with Rayan’s ceiling.

Who knows, if he gets his dream move in the winter transfer window and hits the ground running in new surroundings, we may even see Rayan strutting his stuff for Brazil at next summer’s World Cup. Competition for a No.9 berth in Carlo Ancelotti's squad is fierce, but Rayan could be a wildcard option who can, at the very least, bring something different from the bench. Nothing is out of reach for the Vasco academy gem if he stays on his current path.